A tall tale that doesn’t quite measure up.
A town of prospering Black folks magically uproots itself.
When Rootilla Redgums, who claims to be nearly 100 years old, moves to Walkerton, Georgia, with her 9-year-old, old soul of a grandson, Julius Jefferson, her wizened appearance and powerful aura cause a stir among the townspeople. They aren’t quite sure what to make of the odd pair, but Rootilla soon wins them over. She teaches them to make homemade goods that draw White buyers from the surrounding towns, and Walkerton, once full of misery, begins to thrive. Rootilla’s handiworks possess unique powers—they are carpets that never wear down, jugs that never empty, and walking sticks “that somehow never got you lost in the woods.” Convinced that Walkerton’s Black residents are practicing witchcraft, a mob of White people attack but are no match for Rootilla’s magic. At her behest, the town—which Julius renames Carrimebac—is literally carried away, leaving only a lake to mark where Walkerton once stood. Each page turn brings fresh delights via the engaging acrylic paintings that create drama through the use of various perspectives. On some spreads, characters look directly at the viewer, as if inviting interaction. While the premise is compelling, the narrative is not cohesive; some character connections are confusing, and the use of the euphemism “Fearful Folks” to refer to white-hooded, torch-bearing figures emphasizes their unfounded fears of Black folks instead of the terror they inflict because of their hate.
A tall tale that doesn’t quite measure up. (Picture book/folktale. 6-9)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1369-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A close encounter of the best kind.
Left behind when the space bus departs, a child discovers that the moon isn’t as lifeless as it looks.
While the rest of the space-suited class follows the teacher like ducklings, one laggard carrying crayons and a sketchbook sits down to draw our home planet floating overhead, falls asleep, and wakes to see the bus zooming off. The bright yellow bus, the gaggle of playful field-trippers, and even the dull gray boulders strewn over the equally dull gray lunar surface have a rounded solidity suggestive of Plasticine models in Hare’s wordless but cinematic scenes…as do the rubbery, one-eyed, dull gray creatures (think: those stress-busting dolls with ears that pop out when squeezed) that emerge from the regolith. The mutual shock lasts but a moment before the lunarians eagerly grab the proffered crayons to brighten the bland gray setting with silly designs. The creatures dive into the dust when the bus swoops back down but pop up to exchange goodbye waves with the errant child, who turns out to be an olive-skinned kid with a mop of brown hair last seen drawing one of their new friends with the one crayon—gray, of course—left in the box. Body language is expressive enough in this debut outing to make a verbal narrative superfluous.
A close encounter of the best kind. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4253-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
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